Donald Trump plans mass firings of healthcare workers - WSJ
Over 83,000 people work in the Ministry of Health and social services (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The Trump administration is working on an order to dismiss thousands of employees from the US Department of Health and Human Services. However, the White House denies preparing such a document, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, under an order that could be issued as soon as next week, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health agencies will be required to reduce a certain percentage of their workforce. Officials have been tasked with preparing lists of employees on probation who play key roles and should be retained, as well as those who should not be laid off.
The report follows last week's announcement that the Trump administration offered 2 million federal civilian workers the option to stop working this week while continuing to receive pay and benefits until September 30, as the new administration seeks to reduce the government.
According to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Health and Human Services employs more than 83,000 people. The agencies within the department perform a range of functions, including monitoring the ongoing avian flu outbreak and other viruses.
Trump begins the 'purge'
At the start of his second presidential term, Trump began with widespread layoffs across various sectors.
The US administration will leave fewer than 300 employees at USAID, while the US Agency for International Development, according to CNN, has about 10,000 employees worldwide, including thousands of contractors.
Additionally, according to CNN, as part of Trump’s initiative to reduce the federal workforce, all CIA employees were offered the option to resign and receive compensation. The CIA became the first national security agency to offer a so-called buyout to all its employees.
